The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to refrigeration units on vehicles and, more particularly, to inductive charging for refrigeration units on vehicles.
A typical refrigerated cargo truck or refrigerated tractor trailer, such as those utilized to transport a cargo via sea, rail, or road, is a truck or trailer having a cargo compartment modified to include a refrigeration unit located at one end of the truck or trailer. Refrigeration units typically include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator serially connected by refrigerant lines in a closed refrigerant circuit in accord with known refrigerant vapor compression cycles. A power unit, such as an engine, drives the compressor of the refrigeration unit, and may be diesel powered, natural gas powered, or other type of engine. In many tractor trailer transport refrigeration systems, the compressor is driven by the engine shaft either through a belt drive or by a mechanical shaft-to-shaft link. In other systems, the engine drives a generator that generates electrical power, which in turn drives the compressor.
Manufacturers and operators of fleets of refrigerated trucks and refrigerated tractor trailer desire to maximize operational efficiency of not only the refrigeration unit, but of the truck or tractor trailer system as a whole. One area of improvement may be made with respect to the evaporator fans of the refrigeration systems. Evaporator fans are used during the refrigeration process to maintain appropriate air temperatures within the refrigerated tractor trailer. The evaporator fans are electrically powered devices that require appropriate cabling and wiring for suitable operation.